


Children of the Revolution (you can't fool us)

by midwinterspring



Category: Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Moulin Rouge! Fusion, Bazine is not great either, Bisexual Ben Solo, Bisexual Rey (Star Wars), Dirty Talk, Dreams, Enthusiastic Consent, Eventual Happy Ending, Explicit Sexual Content, F/M, Labor Unions, Labor issues, Massage, Masturbation, Mentions of alcohol (absinthe), No Pregnancy, Oral Sex, Sex Work, Snoke is the Worst, Vaginal Sex, background stormpilot, inappropriate use of aerial silks, meta star wars references, no illness, safe to ready if you are triggered by pregnancy, sex dream - possibly absinthe induced
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-20
Updated: 2020-11-21
Packaged: 2021-03-06 01:20:37
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,002
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25985023
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/midwinterspring/pseuds/midwinterspring
Summary: The Republic never fell. The Rebel Alliance was an artistic movement. And the next generation of that movement came to a small planet called Baz, and a city called New Paris...A genderswapped Moulin Rouge! AU with a happy ending!
Relationships: Rey/Ben Solo | Kylo Ren
Comments: 14
Kudos: 14
Collections: Let's Go to the Movies - Reylo Readers & Writers Prompt Exchange





	1. This story is about...

**Author's Note:**

  * For [ceciliasheplin](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ceciliasheplin/gifts).



> Thank you to theresonatinglight for brainstorming with me and betaing this!
> 
> The beautiful moodboard is by @curiousniffin!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Amazing art at the end by [gwendy85](https://twitter.com/gwendy85) from a donation fundraiser!

The sun set over the rooftops of New Paris, washing them in orange and yellow light. Rey peeked through her curtains as the bright lights of the theatres and cabarets that surrounded them came on. It was like all the stars she could see on clear nights in the desert had draped themselves over the city instead.

The brightest and most beautiful lights decorated the facade of the Moulin Rouge across the street. Its namesake windmill turned, covered in bright red lights.

"Come on Rey, we'll be late!" said Rose, outside her bedroom door.

"I'm almost ready," said Rey. "I just need to pick out a mask!" Her apartment mates had made and collected a number of masks that could be useful in future performances, or events like tonight, a special masquerade performance at the Moulin Rouge.

The quiet intuition she recognized as the Force drew her to a classic full-face design with a black and white diamond pattern. She put it on. It matched nicely with her white blouse and black pinstripe waistcoat. Paige had lent her a ruffled purple skirt that was short in front and a bit longer in back, and she wore it over her usual tan leggings and black boots. Rose had recommended wearing something she could dance in, and this fit the bill.

Rey looked in her mirror. Even before she put the mask on, she looked so different than she had a year ago, when she had finally saved up enough money from scavenging hardware and apprenticing as a mechanic in a desert outpost to move to the city. She'd needed a place to stay, and a group of artists and performers had needed another person to share the rent of their attic apartment. Rey loved building things, and her new friends were excited to plan stage sets and sculptures that they could collaborate on.

Rey went out into the hallway where her friends waited. Rose, Paige, and Jannah wore jewel-toned dresses and matching masks, and Finn and Poe looked dashing in ruffly white shirts tucked into dark trousers, with gold masks. "You all look stunning," she said. "Like you could be performing yourselves!"

"Oh, if only," said Poe.

"I mean, we may get our chance, thanks to Finn," said Paige.

"You've got the blueprints and notes?" asked Finn.

"I do!" said Rey, patting her waistcoat pocket where she had tucked them.

Even before she'd moved to the city, Rey had heard of the Moulin Rouge, the most famous of New Paris' many theatres and cabarets. Its fame reached far beyond Baz, an otherwise unremarkable habitable planet in the Mid Rim. Finn had said once that the theatre had many guests from Coruscant, even Senators. Artists came to paint the performances, and their art attracted others to New Paris and its community of free-spirited art lovers.

The most famous performer at the Moulin Rouge, and therefore the most famous performer in New Paris, was Kylo Ren. He was an acrobat and dancer, and also a courtesan, like many of his fellow performers.

Finn knew Gwen Phasma, the stage manager at the Moulin Rouge, although he was never very specific on how. Through his connection, he had gotten them tickets to tonight's performance and had even set up a meeting for Rey to talk to Kylo and try to convince him to put on the show they all had been working on at the Moulin Rouge. Phasma had apparently insisted that Kylo would have no problem convincing Harold Snoke, who ran the theater. And when Rey had asked why she would be the one to meet with Kylo (not that she minded, after seeing the posters and holos of him), Finn had said that apparently he also liked to build things and was very specific about the apparatus he performed on. He thought they might have something in common.

Rey and her friends headed out into the warm summer night, crossing the street and joining the other masked patrons of the Moulin Rouge. Inside, there was a stage with red velvet curtains, and an open space on the floor in front of it. Rey guessed it was for dancing. Tables ringed the open space, and the level above it had elegant boxes, and there were more balconies with tables and rows of seats above the boxes.

A droid host showed them to their box, which was toward the center of the space with a great view of the stage. "These are amazing seats," said Rey.

"Phasma owed me _several_ favors," said Finn, grinning.

"Clearly," said Rey. "Well, thanks for cashing them in for us!"

The show had promised something for everyone, and Rey thought it came pretty close. There were acrobats and tightrope walkers, musicians and dancers. Humans, Twi'lek, Zabrak, Kaminoans, and Ugnaughts performed burlesque. The crowd got louder and louder as the night went on. Rey thought all the performances were good, but she knew that the favorites were going to be performing last.

A pale man with red hair came out. He wore a black greatcoat that he quickly shrugged out of. Underneath, he wore a black sleeveless shirt and tight black pants. There was something almost military about his appearance and the precision of his movements as he pulled himself onto a trapeze that descended to him.

"Hux is impressive enough," whispered Finn. "But wait until you see Kylo!"

She didn't have too long to wait. Hux somersaulted neatly off the trapeze and stuck his landing perfectly. The curtain closed, then reopened showing two long streamers of dark red fabric, suspended from a metal ring attached to some sort of wire.

A man walked out, striding slowly and purposefully as the music began. Cheers erupted throughout the theatre.

The posters and holos had not done Kylo justice, Rey thought. He wore loose black pants and his pale chest was bare. His wavy black hair fell past his ears, and Rey was pretty sure she could see a long scar running down one side of his face to his collarbone. Where Hux's movements had been controlled, almost stiff, Kylo moved with violent fluidity. He bent and spun through the fabric, as if he was attacking it. He climbed and wrapped himself into the streamers, then the whole apparatus was slowly raised higher into the air. Rey guessed that there was some sort of pulley backstage.

Now at the apex of the stage, he arched and posed acrobatically, at one point only supporting himself with the fabric wrapped around each ankle and his legs in a split. More slow motion somersaults and crimson silk around his body, and he paused in another graceful backbend. Then he straightened and _fell,_ the fabric unwrapping around his body until it caught and stopped his descent.

It was a stunning performance, and the crowd was roaring. Rey was most surprised with a part near the end. Kylo suspended himself near the ground, as if sitting cross-legged on an invisible stool. He gripped the silk wrapping his wrist with one hand, with no evidence of strain. The crowd gasped. It looked like an amazing feat of strength, or pure illusion. When he kicked up into a handstand only supporting himself with one hand loosely holding the silk, she knew. She felt the energy swirling around him. His previous tricks had been done unaided, but now he was calling on the Force. Like her, Kylo Ren was Force sensitive.

She just stared as he finished his routine, ending with swinging out over the edge of the stage on the silks, then landing with an incongruously neat hop with his feet together, back on the stage. She kept staring as all of the other performers came back on stage, and Snoke came out and announced the Can-Can, the signature dance of the New Paris cabarets.

It started with all the performers on the stage, dancing and kicking and holding up their skirts if they were wearing them. Then, they moved down onto the open area in front of the stage, gesturing for the people in the first rows of tables and boxes to join them. Rey remembered Paige recommending she wear something she could dance in.

Rey saw Snoke whispering to Kylo and pointing toward their box, or possibly at the box next to theirs. They both looked up at her, meeting her eyes. Some instinct prompted her to close herself off in the Force. Before she did, she caught a glimmer of something from Snoke. _Also Force sensitive, hmm._

Then Paige and Jannah were getting up and gently pulling on her stand up too. "Come on, let's dance!" Jannah said.

"I'm not sure I can kick that high!" said Poe.

"Me either," said Finn. "I'm looking forward to watching your attempt, though." He squeezed Poe's hand. Rey followed them out of the box and on to the dance floor.

The Can-Can was a whirl of light and colors and bodies moving all around her. She did her best to keep up, and it was clear that most of the rest of the audience was doing the same, more or less successfully. The music ended, and sounds of laughter and panting echoed around the dance floor.

Rey looked around, uncertain, as another song began. It was the opening strains of a waltz. Suddenly, silently, Kylo Ren stood in front of her, now wearing a black silk shirt to go with his black pants. He bowed deeply, taking her hand and kissing it. His hand and his lips were so soft. "May I have this dance, my lady?"

"Of course," Rey said. Her cheeks felt hot, and she was glad Kylo couldn't see her blushing behind her mask. She reminded herself to thank Paige and Jannah later for insisting that they all know how to waltz, in case they needed it for one of their performances.

She saw Poe's and Rose's grinning faces, and then Kylo whirled her away into the dance. Rey felt like she should be trying to make conversation or persuade him, but she just wanted to relax into the experience. Besides, they would have more of a chance to talk after this.

She wasn't prepared for his sheer presence, or the softness of his warm brown eyes. The waltz was outwardly much more decorous than the Can-Can, but there was something so intimate about the way his hand rested on her waist, and her hand rested on his shoulder.

"Snoke said we were to meet after this, that you had a proposal for me," said Kylo, as the music ended.

"I do," said Rey, trying her best to sound like she knew what she was doing. Her heart was pounding far more than she would have expected from dancing.

"Shall we go to my room, then? This is the end of the cast's portion, although the patrons will be able to dance more if they wish," he said. Around them, she could see some of the patrons leaving with the performers.

"Yes, let’s," said Rey. Her friends weren't expecting her to go back to the apartment with them, after all.

She thought she saw Rose wink at her as she and Kylo left the theatre through a side door. They crossed a wide courtyard lit by strings of multicolored lights hanging above them. Kylo led her into another door, and up the stairs into a beautifully decorated room. There was a luxurious-looking sofa and chairs, and further back in the space, a canopied bed. Beyond that were doors that must lead to the wrought-iron balcony Rey had noticed when they were outside.

"Welcome to my humble abode," he said. He sat down on the plush red velvet sofa, his black clothing making a dramatic contrast. Had he picked out all the furniture to make himself look good? _Not that it's hard_ , Rey thought. She sat down next to him, glad that he couldn't see her blushing furiously under her mask.

"So, what did you want to talk to me about?"

Rey fumbled in her waistcoat pockets for the drawings. "My friends and I are working on a show..." She trailed off when she realized that Kylo was staring at her.

"You're Force sensitive," he said, sounding awed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kylo's act is inspired by these videos:  
> [Iram Ramirez on silks](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k12VV3XhmaE)  
> [Karina Silva from Cirque de Soleil, performing in downtown Orlando](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bN8VABMr_uc)  
> ["Movement" by Hozier (hat tip to flypaper_brain)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OSye8OO5TkM)
> 
> I'm on [Twitter](https://twitter.com/midwintersprin1).


	2. Truth

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _"I'm Rey," she said, and took off her mask. She was gratified to see Kylo's eyes widen._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've gotten such wonderful comments so far on Twitter and on here! Thank you!
> 
> Thank you to theresonatinglight for betaing this fic!
> 
> I've added some tags for this and future chapters.

_Kriff_ , Rey thought. She had gotten distracted by Kylo's presence and her surroundings and had stopped shielding her Force signature. At this point, if there ever was a script for how tonight was supposed to go, they were off it. She decided just to go with it. "You sound like you don't run into a lot of Force sensitive people," said Rey.

"That's correct. While I'm sure the Jedi do in fact patronize establishments like this one," said Kylo with a wry laugh, "they don't come here, that I've seen. And the Sith? I certainly am in no place to report a Sith sighting, when no one else has in centuries."

"Well, I'm not a Jedi. Or a Sith," said Rey.

"Spoken just like a Sith," Kylo teased.

Rey laughed. She hadn't expected Kylo to be so easy to talk to, although it made sense as a useful skill in a paid companion. "I don't think you are Sith, either. So there have to be other people out there like us, right? Force sensitive, but not affiliated?" She had been aware of the Force for as long as she could remember, but it had been a long time before she had realized there was a name for her strange intuitions and occasional telekinesis.

"Oh definitely," said Kylo. "I mean, there's Snoke, although he sometimes keeps it hidden."

Rey remembered the glimmer she sensed from him. "I wondered."

"Let's not talk about my boss," he said. "Now, my lady, you were telling me about the show you were working on." He leaned closer to her, and Rey found herself staring at his lips, wondering what it would be like to kiss them.

"You could kiss me if you wanted," said Kylo.

"Get out of my head!" said Rey, half joking.

"You were projecting. Loudly," Kylo said. He took one of her hands, caressing its calluses and rough spots. He massaged the base of the thumb, where it tended to cramp. Such a simple touch, and she was already sighing with pleasure. He kissed her hand, then looked up at her. "By the way, I know you're not Bazine. She's not Force sensitive, and honestly, you're a better dancer."

Rey laughed. "You knew?"

"Yes. I was curious who you were, though."

"I'm Rey," she said, and took off her mask. She was gratified to see Kylo's eyes widen. Now that she wasn't blocking herself off in the Force, she could sense his desire, too. That was all she needed. She leaned forward and brought her lips to his. They were as soft as she imagined. Something sparked between them in the Force as she deepened the kiss. She pulled him closer, and he threaded his fingers through her hair.

The kiss went on and on. When they finally broke apart, she just stared at him. He looked as dazed as she felt. Between them, she could feel something lingering in the Force. "Don't be afraid," he said. "I feel it too."

Suddenly Rey heard a woman's voice in the hallway outside. "What is going on here? Snoke, can you explain this?"

Then there was a man's voice. "I told him he would be meeting with you after the performance. I didn't realize he wasn't with you."

"Well, he clearly wasn't. Isn't."

"Oh no," said Kylo, so quietly Rey wondered if she had imagined it. "Be very careful. It's Snoke," he whispered in her ear, then pulled away. He picked up the drawings she had dropped on the table before they kissed and glanced through them.

Loud knocking shook the door. "Open up!" said Snoke. "Lady Bazine is here!"

Kylo glanced at Rey, then got up to open the door.

"Ah, good to see you, my lady," he said, with a graceful nod. "Hello, Snoke."

"What is going on here?" asked Bazine again, as she and Snoke pushed their way into the room. She wore a black and white diamond patterned mask, and a sleek black catsuit. Snoke loomed behind her in the shiny gold robe he'd worn during the performance.

"We were discussing a show that Rey and her colleagues are working on," said Kylo.

" _Bazine_ wanted to discuss investing in the Moulin Rouge," Snoke said pointedly.

Bazine narrowed her eyes suspiciously. "What's the show called?"

That was an odd first question, but Rey was ready. "Spectacular Spectacular!"

"What's it about?" asked Snoke.

That was a bit of a sticking point, honestly. The actual plot, what little there was, was ever evolving. Jannah wanted fight scenes, Paige wanted dance numbers, and Rose and Finn wanted to make sure that the artistic ideals of truth, beauty, freedom, and love were well represented. She and Poe were most excited about special effects and building impressive sets, although Poe was also trying his hand at songwriting. They all wanted to act.

Kylo glanced at Rey. She felt the Force winding around them again and decided to trust it.

"Far in the past, in the Era of the High Republic," she began.

"There lived a Jedi," said Kylo, wrapping himself in a tan bathrobe.

"And a Sith," said Rey, grabbing a black silk robe that hung nearby and putting it on.

"They were enemies of course," said Kylo. He looked around and grabbed an empty ornate candlestick, holding it like a lightsaber.

Rey grabbed another candlestick and held it like she was facing off with Kylo. "They fought many battles," she said. "And then, one day they realized they had fallen in love." They both dropped their candlesticks and put their arms around each other, facing Bazine and Snoke like they were the audience.

"Their masters were horrified and tried to separate them," said Kylo. They let go of each other, and stepped back dramatically.

"They fought a last desperate battle," said Rey.

"The Sith cornered the Jedi," said Kylo.

Rey grabbed her candlestick and held it near his throat. "But she couldn't bring herself to hurt him." She dropped it.

"They ran away together," said Kylo.

"And lived happily ever after!" said Rey. "So, what do you think?"

"I see," said Bazine slowly.

"They'll be dance numbers, too!" said Rey. "And special effects."

"And automata!" said Kylo. Apparently he had looked at the sketches she’d brought. "So, what do you think?"

"Generally, I like it," said Bazine. "I think the nostalgia would sell, and it appeals to audiences looking for both romance and action. But I'm not sure about the ending. Shouldn't someone die?"

"No, I don't think so," said Rey. "We're not going for tragedy here! It's been overdone lately."

Bazine nodded after a moment. Snoke looked thoughtful. "I think the special effects would sell it," he said. "You and your _colleagues_ should come back here tomorrow at 3pm, and we'll discuss the contract. In the meantime, Lady Bazine has a _private_ meeting scheduled with Kylo Ren now."

Rey nodded, picking up the candlestick and putting it back on the table. "I'll see you tomorrow," she said to Snoke, hoping she sounded calm and professional. She nodded to Bazine and to Kylo as she left.

Kylo met her eyes and held her gaze for a few seconds. _Come back_ , she heard his voice in her head, edged in desperation. Then again, _Come back, come see me tomorrow,_ in a calmer tone.

 _Kylo?_ she thought, with a tiny raise of her eyebrow. He looked startled, like he hadn't expected her to "hear" him.

"See you tomorrow," she said again, out loud, looking at him. Then she left the room, feeling like she'd just had the most surreal night of her life.

*

Her apartment mates were all waiting in the living room when she came back, with their absinthe fountain set up on a side table. She wondered if they had intended to stay up all night if necessary to get the juicy details.

"Back so soon?" asked Poe.

"Oh, well..." said Rey. "There was some confusion - apparently he was supposed to be with someone else. A Lady Bazine who wants to invest in the Moulin Rouge."

"I'm sorry - Phasma assured me that you would be able to spend time with him," said Finn.

"Well, I did get to spend some time." Poe raised an eyebrow. "And we ended up pitching 'Spectacular Spectacular!'" said Rey.

"And?" prompted Jannah.

"Yeah, save the suspense for the show!" said Paige, but she was laughing.

"Snoke seems to want to produce it, and I think Bazine might be on board. We're supposed to come back tomorrow for a meeting," said Rey.

"That's amazing!" said Rose, jumping out of her chair and coming over to hug Rey.

Rey hugged her, then pulled back. "It's great. It's just...Kylo and I kind of pitched a plot, and I hope it's okay...I had to say _something_."

"What is it?" asked Paige.

"A historical fantasy, kind of. Jedi and Sith, enemies to lovers. Happy ending."

"But that's perfect!" said Finn. "Love conquers all! That's exactly the kind of story we want to be telling."

"And the fight scenes! This is amazing!" said Jannah.

"So who's playing the roles? I mean, Kylo should be one of them - he'll draw a crowd. But the other?" asked Poe.

"Rey had some serious chemistry with him while waltzing," said Rose. "And apparently you two managed to come up with a plot for this show..."

Rey looked down, feeling her cheeks burn. "I mean, believe me - I wouldn't mind. But we don't have to decide tonight." Suddenly, she remembered something, and checked her pockets. "I'm sorry - I left the sketches there."

"Well, we'll be back tomorrow," said Finn.

Her friends crowded around her. Poe poured absinthe for all, and they toasted the new show, and the Moulin Rouge, and Kylo Ren, and her.

*

Rey dreamt of Kylo when she finally went to bed that night. She saw him performing on the silks again, but this time, he was completely naked. She watched the taut muscles in his legs moving surrounded by crimson fabric and thought she would combust. Then, in the perfect logic of dreams, he was no longer moving in the air, but in a bed, and the fabric draped across him was crimson satin sheets. And wonder of wonders, she was there with him, equally unclothed, and his soft lips kissed her all over. Her whole body was one exhalation of _yes_ as he brought his head down between her thighs, his hair falling across his face and little moans escaping him as he licked her swollen clit. Her fingers and toes dug into the sheets as he pushed her higher and higher—

She woke up gasping and sweating, with one hand on her drenched cunt. Her sheets had tangled around her legs. When she closed her eyes, she could still see Kylo in the dream, and the way his eyes had burned as he looked up at her, watching her about to come apart...

Rey sighed and tried to go back to sleep. It was useless. The aching between her legs wasn't subsiding, and she wasn't sure she wanted it to. She reached into the drawer next to her bed and pulled out the vibrator she had hacked with a stronger, quieter motor, wondering as she did how many other people were fantasizing about him that night. She lay back and imagined herself back in the dream, with one of Kylo's large hands wrapped around her thigh and two of his long fingers crooked inside her, and his tongue, _oh yes, his tongue_ —

She ground her hips against the toy buzzing on her clit, sensation building again. It wasn't long at all until she came harder than she usually did, her breathing harsh in the quiet of her little bedroom.

She was half asleep by the time her cunt stopped twitching. She rolled onto her side and pulled the sheet back around her. Right as she was about to truly fall asleep, she remembered his voice in her head. _Come back..._

If she dreamed again that night, she didn't remember.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I love positive comments! Also, as always, let me know if I should tag anything else!
> 
> I'm on [Twitter](https://twitter.com/midwintersprin1)!


	3. Beauty

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _Kylo was facing away from her, but she could feel a slight thread of his attention in the Force. Everything was still, waiting._
> 
> _"I dreamt about you," she said. "The night we met."_
> 
> _"Oh?" He turned around slowly. His movements were smooth, except for his hands shaking slightly. "What did you dream about?" His voice had gotten very deep and very quiet._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Time to earn that E rating...and the "inappropriate use of aerial silks" tag!

The negotiations were easier than Rey expected. Afterwards, she wondered if they should have asked for more money, and they had asked for a lot. They would all be able to work on the show full time, which was good, because they would need to. They had a month to write it, and a month after that to rehearse, and would be building sets throughout the time.

After the meeting with Snoke and Bazine, Rey and her friends sat in the empty theater, waiting for some of the Moulin Rouge cast and crew to join them.

"Snoke's clearly expecting the show to make a lot of money," Rose said quietly.

"It makes sense. Plenty of people would pay good money to hear Kylo Ren read Senate filibuster transcripts," Poe said.

"If he was on the silks in those high-waisted acrobat pants — sign me up!" said Paige.

"Well, I think we've already written our show! Great job, all!" said Jannah.

Rey laughed along with the rest of them, but she felt a lingering disquiet. Neither Snoke nor Bazine had said anything about the previous night during the meeting, or been anything other than courteous and professional. But she kept thinking of Kylo's warning to "be very careful" before Snoke had come into his room last night, and the desperation in his mental voice asking her to come back.

Of course, the part where she had heard him in her head - and been able to talk back - was also very strange. She'd learned what little she knew about her own Force abilities from experience, and looking through whatever texts had made it onto the HoloNet. She knew about the Jedi — everyone did. But they only trained those they'd found as children, and no Jedi had ever come to the deserts of Baz and rescued her from her life of scavenging. She had rescued herself.

She pulled herself back to the present as a door opened and Phasma, Hux, and Kylo came in. Like Rey and her friends, they sat down at several of the cabaret tables lining the dance floor. Kylo took up an entire table himself, looking too big for the chair he was sprawling in. He had brought the notes she had left behind last night.

"So, congratulations," said Phasma. "I heard from Snoke that we'll be working together, and Spectacular Spectacular opens in two months! When you're planning the schedule, don't forget to allow time for tech rehearsals, to make sure everything works okay with the lights, sets, and effects."

"Of course," said Poe. "This is going to be a complex show."

"We may be getting ahead of ourselves with scheduling. For one thing, there is the question of the other lead, along with Kylo of course," said Hux, making it sound very unpleasant.

"Were you interested?" asked Finn.

"I would make a terrible Sith," said Hux primly. "It should be one of you, since you brought Snoke this idea." He looked like he was tasting something disagreeable. Rey wondered if he was like this all the time.

"It should be Rey," said Rose. "If she wants the role. She pitched it successfully, after all."

"I agree," said Kylo, leaning forward.

Rey looked at their other friends. They were all nodding. "Go for it," said Paige. "I'm planning out your costumes now. Black robes of course, with leggings so you can dance. And fight."

"Ah yes," said Rey. "Come to the Dark Side — we have pas de deux."

"So that's what they're calling it these days," said Phasma. "Well, make sure I know when you're ready to rehearse, and we'll go from there." She got up to start getting the stage ready for the night's performance.

They decided that Finn would play the Jedi master and Poe would be the Sith master. Everyone else's roles would be decided when they wrote more of the story.

They discussed a writing schedule and when the Moulin Rouge performers were likely to be available. Eventually, everyone else made various excuses and left, and somehow Rey and Kylo were the only ones left in the space. Kylo spread out Rey's drawings on the table in front of him. "These are amazing," he said.

"Thanks," said Rey, sitting next to him.

"Seriously," said Kylo, pointing to one of her drawings. It was a rig for supporting performers with wires while they balanced on a narrow structure, with ideas for lighting to make it look invisible. "This one is great. I think we could use it for this play." He ran a hand through his hair as he leaned over the plans, looking absorbed in them. He seemed less like a perfectly composed performer or courtesan, and more like one of her apartment mates, enthusiastic and a little bit awkward.

"Yeah," said Rey. "After we talked about the play last night, I was thinking the main characters could fight somewhere dramatic. Above a ship's reactor core, or surrounded by the ocean or something."

"Or above lava!" said Kylo. "I know Snoke has really wanted to add some equipment for pyrotechnics."

"Sure, lava!" said Rey. "It'll be extra dramatic when they stop fighting and kiss." The words were out of her mouth before she thought about them. She felt his attention and presence intensify.

"Yeah, that would be good," said Kylo, voice gone quiet. "Kissing. And not just in character. That is — I mean — if you want—"

"Yes," said Rey. "I do want." She leaned over and kissed him, starting out gently. He responded enthusiastically. Once again, she felt the Force weaving between them.

They broke apart gently, and Rey rested her forehead against Kylo's. "Why is the Force connecting us?" she whispered.

"I don't know," he said. "I don't — it doesn't mean you have any obligation to me."

"I know," said Rey. "If I didn't want to be here, and do this, I wouldn't. In or out of character." She cocked her head at Kylo's lap. "Can I sit there?"

Kylo grinned, and pulled her down on top of him. They kissed again, arms roaming all over each other's backs.

He sighed after a while. Rey pulled back, eyes half-lidded. "What is it?"

"I need to get ready for tonight's performance, and I'll be busy for the next few days. But sometime soon, you and your friends should come over and discuss what's possible with aerial work, so you know what to write. And then we can spend more time together." Rey felt so much desire from him, mirroring what she felt.

"That's great, but...I mean...I’m almost certain I can't afford you, if you meant it like  _ that _ ." said Rey. Her face felt hot.

Kylo laughed quietly. "I meant it like that. I can have flings, you know, or even relationships. That aren't for work. It's a common misconception, and sometimes clients want to pretend we're exclusive. It's not the reality."

"Oh," said Rey. Her brain was catching up with what he just said.  _ He meant it like  _ that? _ And _ — _ relationships? _

"That's good," she said out loud, climbing off him. "Really good."

He smiled. "See you soon."

*

To her disappointment, she didn't dream about Kylo Ren for the next few nights. She did notice that he apartment mates kept bringing him up to her in conversation, but then again, he was her co-star.

They met back at the Moulin Rouge for their scheduled introduction to aerial equipment and the stage they would be working with. Phasma took them up in the catwalks to see the lighting and rigging. Then, Kylo brought the group into a training gym to show some options for aerial performance. He demonstrated silks, Hux showed trapeze, and a woman named Bellava Parnadee walked a tightrope while talking about the history of the Moulin Rouge and various aerial acts.

Poe had written a line for Kylo during one of the fight scenes about having the higher ground. "You could say it while on the silks!" he said.

Kylo had climbed the silks while they were talking and was balancing at the top with fabric wrapping his legs. "Uhhhh, nice thought, but I don't have any ground at all at the moment."

"It's a metaphor," muttered Poe, but he only sounded mock-angry. He was still grinning from Jannah's suggestion that the Jedi and Sith masters should also have a romantic subplot.

"You could say it on a tightrope," said Parnadee, who was currently on a low one herself. "Or a balance beam."

"Or the instability of the silks could be a metaphor for the shifting nature of their dynamic and the way that love destabilizes externally imposed limitations," said Finn.

"Perfect!" said Rose. "Now, can we turn that into song lyrics?"

Their conversations went on like that for a while, until the scheduled rehearsal time was over. Phasma pulled Hux and Parnadee away to look at something. Rey's friends all said their goodbyes, slipping away like they had at the first cast meeting.

Suddenly, Rey was alone with Kylo in the training gym. She reached out with the Force and didn't sense anyone in the hallway outside, either.

She was a scavenger. She knew what it meant to seize every opportunity because you might not get another one. She knew what it meant to wring every drop of value out of something, because the future was uncertain and scarcity was always at her heels.

Kylo was facing away from her, but she could feel a slight thread of his attention in the Force. Everything was still, waiting.

"I dreamt about you," she said. "The night we met."

"Oh?" He turned around slowly. His movements were smooth, except for his hands shaking slightly. "What did you dream about?" His voice had gotten very deep and very quiet.

Desire shimmered in the air between them. "I saw you naked, on the silks. Then - in your bed, and I was there with you." Her own voice was husky now. His pupils were wide and he was breathing like he had just come off the silks.

"What were we doing?"

The memory came back, and she wondered if he could pick up on it, with both of them as open to the Force as they were right now. It was worth it to say it out loud, and watch his reaction. "You kissed me all over, and your tongue..."

He took another step towards her, his eyes half lidded. "Yes?"

She reminded herself that he probably had conversations like this every day.

"I dreamt you went down on me, and I was so close, and you watched me like I was the best thing you had ever seen. And your fingers were inside me...and then I woke up."

"And?" he asked, drawing out the word. He was standing close to her now, but not touching her.

She watched his face closely as she spoke, and chose her words with care. "I woke up with my cunt dripping wet, and couldn't get back to sleep until I had gotten myself off. I came so hard imagining you with your tongue on my clit."

He closed his eyes. "Is this something you would want, for real?"

"Yes," she breathed, never more sure of anything than she was at the moment. The room felt suddenly hot, or maybe that was her face flushing. She could tell from the Force and the bulge in his pants that he was just as affected.

He exhaled hard. "I would like that too. I want to know what you sound like when you're close. I want to feel your hips grind against me; I want to feel your walls flutter around my fingers, I want to see what your face looks like when you finally let go..."

Her voice, even softer and lower now, made heat pool in her belly. She moaned, and rocked her hips involuntarily.

He noticed. "Oh yes, like that. I want to feel that."

"I don't just want your words," she said. "I want your hands, and your lips, and your cock."

"Right now?" he asked.

"Right now," she rasped.

He glanced toward doors, and locked them with the Force. She still didn't sense anyone nearby. She took one of his hands and pressed it down on her shoulder, so he could feel where her contraceptive implant was located. "I've had all my shots, too."

"Me too," said Kylo.

Rey nodded. His hand still rested on her shoulder, a surprisingly soft touch for how much arousal echoed between them in the Force. For a breath, she just looked at him, taking him in. Everything was still. Then, she wrapped her arms around him and pulled him into a kiss.

That was all it took to open the floodgates. He was frantic against her mouth. She tried to bring their bodies even closer by sliding one leg between his. When he reached his careful fingers under her shirt and found a nipple, she started grinding her core against his thigh. She groaned — the friction was good, but it wasn't nearly enough.

"I've got you," he whispered in her ear, then licked it. She moaned as delicious shivers spread through her body. He gently pushed her back so she was standing again and led her over to one of the set of silks hanging from the ceiling, with mats set up underneath them. The silks were knotted at the bottom to make something like a swing. Kylo draped a towel over the knot while Rey wriggled out of her shirt and breast band.

She caught a glimpse from his mind of what he intended. "Oh, wow," she breathed.

"Good?"

"So good." She pulled off her dance shoes and leggings quickly, far too aroused to try to be seductive. She sat on the knot and spread out one side of the fabric that supported her so she could lean back on it, like it was a hammock. There was a surprising amount of fabric there.

He knelt between her thighs. She could already smell her arousal, so she knew he could too. His large hands on her breasts were almost languid as he kissed his way down her body.

"How soundproof is this room?" she asked as he reached her bellybutton, before he went any lower and it was a moot point.

"Should be soundproof enough," he said with a deep chuckle. "How loud can you be?"

"Keep going and find out," she said.

"Mmmm," he said, and bent his head to lick at her center.

The first touch of his tongue drew a gasp from her, then a moan as he found her sensitive nub and circled it. It was as good as she’d imagined it - better even, to feel through the Force how much he desired her, to feel their arousal swirling together until it was all one thing.

"Do you want my fingers?" he asked.

She knew he already knew the answer from the Force, but it was also amazingly hot to express it out loud. "Yes, I do," she gasped.

She clutched the fabric over her head tightly as one of his large fingers crooked inside her and he sucked on her clit.  _ Stars, _ how was she this close already? She felt a trace of smugness from him as he added another finger inside her.

It was  _ perfect _ . He moaned as she bucked against him. She locked eyes with him and heard in her mind,  _ yes yes, please, let me see you come, please Rey... _

That did it. She let go with a loud, long moan, arching against the silks. He licked her gently and caressed her as she came down. He only removed his fingers after she was done twitching around them. He looked up at her with his hair askew and his face slick with her, still kneeling, and licked his fingers with a moan she felt in her belly.

"Come here," she whispered, trying to help him stand up and take his pants off at the same time. He removed his shirt and helped her with his pants and underwear with trembling hands. He was already hard, and Rey felt precum as she stroked him.

He reached above her to grab on to both silks, and wrapped his other arm around her to support her further. She positioned him at her dripping entrance, and hooked her legs behind his waist, pulling him inside her.

He moaned at that and slowly thrust inside her. "You feel amazing," he said, his voice wrecked and husky. She kissed him, tangling her hands in his silky hair. He continued to moan against her mouth as he thrust harder and harder. The pleasure she felt from him was enough to push her toward another orgasm. She reached a hand down between them to her clit, so sensitive and responsive. His hips started to stutter at that.

_Yes,_ _come for me_ , she thought at that, to him. There was an answering twinge of arousal. He had heard. _Yes, come inside me, please Kylo_ — _._ She pulled him into her and he came with a shout. She worked her fingers fast against her clit and came again, moaning and dazed as she felt both their pleasure at once.

She leaned on him once he stopped moving. He kissed her, breathing hard. When he slid out of her, she grabbed the towel under her and guided them both down to the floor on top of it, or close enough at least.

She rested her head against his chest, feeling the sweat starting to dry on both of them. He stroked her hair. Whatever bond there was between them was filled with sated contentment.

"That was perfect. You were perfect," Kylo whispered.

Rey snuggled against him. "You too," she said.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I headcanon that there are vaccines for STIs in the Galaxy Far, Far Away, and everyone gets them.

**Author's Note:**

> If you enjoyed the adventures of Rey and her creative apartment mates, check out ["To Love Shadows and Marvels"](https://archiveofourown.org/works/23674711/chapters/5683492) for a different take.
> 
> I spent a lot of time thinking about kinesthetics for most of my fics, but particularly for this one and ["In Secret, Between the Shadow and the Soul"](https://archiveofourown.org/works/22809352).
> 
> For something smut-forward check out ["A Dangerous Collection of All My Favorite Things"](https://archiveofourown.org/works/26829970).
> 
> Come say hi on [Twitter](https://twitter.com/midwintersprin1), and as always let me know if there's something I should tag!


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